Many disease states are characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and differentiation of cells. These disease states encompass a variety of cell types and maladies such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and restenosis.
The term cancer is used to describe a class of diseases characterized principally by uncontrolled cell growth. Cancer is currently one of the leading causes of death in the world, and is projected to become the leading cause of death in the next few years. By 2030, it is projected that there will be more than 20 million new cancer diagnoses per annum, with at least 13 million deaths.
There are many different forms of cancer, and many of these types require different forms of treatment. The current main forms of treatment for cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, and treatment with cytotoxic agents (commonly known as chemotherapy). A large number of cytotoxic agents have been used for the treatment of cancer over the last 70 years, including nitrogen mustards such as chloromethine and estramustine; anthracyclines such as doxorubicin, daunorubicin, and idarubicin; platinum-containing compounds such as cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin; antimetabolites such as dacarbazine, capecitabine, fludarabine, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, methotrexate, and pemetrexed; topoisomerase inhibitors such as topotecan and irinotecan; inhibitors of tubulin polymerization such as vinblastine and vincristrine; and inhibitors of tubulin depolymerization such as paclitaxel and docetaxel.
Although many cytotoxic agents are known and have achieved considerable success as therapeutic agents for the treatment of a variety of cancers, there is still a significant unmet need for new therapies, and a need for new cytotoxic agents.